Cultivator



Nov. 22, 1927.

R. H. GRIFFITH CULTI VATOR Filed Jan. 25 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l n v e n, t o r RICHARD H. RlFFlTH,

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A t t 0 r n qys CULTIVATOR Nov. 22, 1927.

R. H. GRIFFITH Nov. 22, 1927. 1,649,825

, R. H. GRIFFITH CULTIVATOR Filed Jan. 25 1926 SSheets-Sheet 5 Inventor" 31 [acumen H.'RIFF1 TH,

Attorneys Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES v PA EN OFFICE.

RICHARD H. GrIIRIIFJE.I'IJI-I, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE OHIO CULTIVA'IOR COMPANY, OF BELLEVUE, OHIO, A CQRPORATION OF OHIO.

cUL'rIvA'roB.

Origin-a1 application filed March 7, 1925,

This invent-ion relates to improvements in cultivators for the cultivation of fields having crops of growing corn, and is a division of my application filed March 7 1925, Serial No. 13,717. Y I The present invention is kindred to that set forth in my application Serial No. 671,265, filed October 27, 1923, relating to cultivators. The features of this later in vent-ion are, essentially, the following:

1. The provision of means for laterally positioning or adjusting the shovel beams comprising, essentially a coupling shaft carried by the draft frame and on which the beams are mounted, a transverse bar adapted to manipulate said coupling shaft la-ter- :ally and forward levers and chains actuated thereby and adapted to move such bar later-,

ally in either direction, so 'as to adjust'the. beams to different lateral positions with reference to the longitudinal center of the machine; and connections between such coupling shaft and the wheel spindles to deflect the wheels :at the same time the beams are laterally adjusted, so as to maintain the :same general relative position of the beams to the wheels to cause the shovels carried by the beams to more readily follow the course of the machine as determined by the deflection of the wheel. 7 v

"2. The provision of wheel deflecting arms or levers swiveled to the arched axle of the machine and extended to constitute spindles on which the wheel hubs are mounted, a feature I have found to insure the certain deflection of the wheels according to the position to which such arms or levers are adjusted, as well as a feature aiding in economy of production since thespindle and the deflecting arm are both in one continuous iece. f

In addition to the foregoing featuresthere are others which will appear in the body of the following specification; i 1

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved cultivator in its entirety.

" Figure .2 is a sideelevation with the seat frame in its rear position and the shovel .beams in cultivating position. Figure '3 is a detail view in side elevation :more. clearly showing the foot lever and chain :for laterally adjusting the bar and coupling shaft, on which latter the beams are mounted. r

' machine.

Seria No. 13,717 Divided and this application'filed January '25, 1926. Serial No. eases. I

.Figure 4 is a detail view showing the wheel spindle and wheel deflecting arm or lever in one piece.

In the drawings, 1' designates a pair of ground wheels, 2 an arched axle, and '3 bars which constitute the general or draft frame of the machine. This frame is secured by brackets 4 to the arch. A draft pole 5 is connected by a pivot bolt 6 to the draft frame and is adapted to be manipulated to different positions relative to a horizontal line, for

purposes of properly adjusting the angle of the shovel to the soil, by means of the lever 7 ,fulcrumed on a pivot link 8 carried by a bracket 9 secured to the draft frame as by a bolt or rivet 10. A segment rack 11 is secured to-the pole and to the end of the lever '7 by a bolt 12. The usual detent 13 is car ried by the lever '7 and manipulated through arod 14 and hand piece 15 so as to engage or disengage with-the teeth of the rack to secure the pole in different adjusted positions. When the lever is raised and 'loweredj its forward end raises and lowers the "rack '11; and through it the polefi.

the forward levers 2 5. The driver of the machine places his feet on these levers and by pushing upon'one or the other can shift the bar 17 and shaft 19 laterally to adjust the shovel gangs to any desired lateral position with respect to the central line of the Tothis end beam couplings 26, in the nature of sleeves, one for each beam, are mounted on the shaft 19 as more particularly seen in' Figure 1. The bars 27 which comprise these beams are bolted or otherwise fastened to these coupling sleeves so that when the shaft is adjusted laterally the sleeves and beams are adjusted likewise. To keep the sleeves spaced apart at the desir'ecfl-distance" and to connect them against 19, a lever 28 is pivoted to the lower part of the clip 21 and is connected by links 29 to the respective sleeves 26. By manipulating the lever 28 one way or the other the sleeves with their beams are drawn closer together or positioned further apart, as may be desired. A perforated segment 30 forming a part of the clip 21 serves to lock the lever 28 in any adjusted position. For this purpose the inner end of one of the links 29 is extended far enough through the lever to enter any of the holes shown in the segment 30. In this way the lever with the sleeves and beamsare held in adjusted positions. But when the bar 17 and shaft 19 are adjusted laterally through the foot levers and chains, the beams move with them as a whole.

In order that this lateral positioning of the beams may accompany the deflection of the wheels 1 from a straight line forward to either side so as to cause the machine to shift bodily in a lateral direction according to the sinuousities of the growing plants or the rows in which they are planted, I connect the wheel spindles 31 with the shaft 19 through the arms 32 which are in the nature of tillers. The connections of the arms or tillers to the shaft 19 are shown at 33 and may be of any convenient form. The tillers are pivoted to the arch 2 by means of sleeves 34 mounted on the arch and connected with the tillers by branch sleeves 35. In this manner the wheels are deflected through the manipulation of the forward levers 25 at the same time that the beams are correspondingly adjusted laterally, so that the shovels will cultivate those portions of the soil which the machine is thus directed to cover.

' A particularly novel feature in this part of mymachine lies in the union of the wheel spindles with the tillers, these parts being preferably made in one continuous piece, as best shown in Figure 4. I

I will now refer to that branch of my machine which comprises the means for vertically positioning the shovel beams and for the fore and aft positioning of the seat frame on which the driver rides.

At 36 is shown a pair of beam positioning levers, one at each side of the machine, and each having an extension 37 to which is connected a lifting and depressing rod 38. Each of these rods extends through its beam and is adapted to be depressed so as to cause its collar 39 to force the spring 40 downward against the beam to press the shovels deeply into the soil, as when the soil is hard or the land is dry. These springs thus act as yielding pressure devices tomaintain the shovels properly in the ground. A reverse movement of the rods 38 will cause them to engage at their lower end with the-beams to lift the beams slightly, or more or less, as

may be desired when the shovels are to cultivate lightly or in a shallow manner, or when one or both of the wheels may be running on a lower level than that of the ground where the shovels are operating, in which 1 case it is expedient to position the beams and shovels one or both, somewhat upward.

An enlargement 41 on the lower end of the rods 38 forms a convenient means for causing the rods to engage the lower faces 0f the beams when the rods are moved upward. The levers 36 are fulcrumed at 42 011 pins or bolts which pass through segments 43.

These segments are secured firmly to a'roc-k shaft 44 mounted in bearings whichiextend rearwardly from the brackets 4, so that in effect the segments are pivotally mounted on the general frame. They are providedwith the usual teeth indicated at 45 adaptedto be engaged by detents 46 which are manipu lated by links 47 and hand pieces 48, to lock and unlock the levers in any given position with respect to the segments 43.

Referring now to the seat frame it will be observed that it is composed of side bars 49 which are drawn together at their rear ends gether by a cross bar 51. The seat 52 has extensions 53 in the nature of arms which extend between the portions 50 of the seat frame and are pivoted thereto by a bolt54 having a spacing block 55. A stop pin 56 carried by the parts 50 is engaged by the forward end of the arms 53 to hold the arms rigidly rearward. The stop pin maybe adjusted to one or the other of the several holes as seen at 50 in Figure 1 and are braced toindicated by dotted lines atr57 in Figure 2,

to adjust the elevation of the seat to suit the particular driver. The seat may be thrown forward on the bolt 54 to shorten the ma chine for shipping or storage.

The forward ends 58 of the seat frameare i pivoted to links 59 which, themselvesv are pivoted at 60 to the side bars 3 of the general frame and which have extensions 61 provided with several. notches with either of which the forward end of the lifting springs r 62 are connected. The rear ends of these springs are fastened to hooks 63 carried by clips 64 secured also to the bars. 3 .ofthef general frame.

The seat frame bars 49 are also pivoted to the segments 43 by means of pivot bolts 65 which extend through'brackets 66 which are I bolted as at 67 to the seat bars. Inthis way the seat frame as a whole is adapted .to be" shifted fore and aftwith respect to the draft Having thus fully described my invention, connected to said shaft and swiveled to said what I claim as new and desire to secure by axle and having integral projections which Letters Patent, is: constitute spindles for the cultivator wheels. I

1. In a cultivator, the combination with a 2. In a cultivator, the combination with 15 5 main frame, arch and shovel beams, of a an arch and a sleeve swiveled thereto and transverse shaft to which the beams are having an extension, of an arm or tiller fitcoupled, a transverse rod connected with ted in said extension and having an integral said shaft, a chain connected therewith, pulprojection which constitutes the wheel spinleys lateral of said connections over which dle. I I 20 10 said chain passes, foot levers to which said In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature. chains are also connected, arms or tillers. RICHARD H. GRIFFITH. 

